May 03, 2008
Building Relationships With Your Customers
No matter what kind of business you're in, building customer relations should be one of your top priorities. All customers, whether on-line or off, like to feel that they are appreciated when they shop in your brick and mortar store or through your web-site. It's easy in today's hurry up, not enough hours in the day society we live in, for business owners to get all caught up in their everyday schedules of running their businesses and loose focus on why they have a business in the first place... CUSTOMERS!
Here are 5 techniques every business owner can use to help increase relations and build trust with their client base.
Email's
Email opt-in list building is creating a list or a collection of email's of people who have a similar interest. List building is largely about building relationships with your customers and should be considered your business life line as it can directly effect your prosperity as well as profits.
Building a high-quality, robust and responsive mailing list can be worth it's weight in gold. An opt-in list for your business is and important commodity and should be one of your priorities no matter whether you have a web-site or not. Building lifetime customers is arguably the most important thing you can do for your business and building a successful list can sometimes mean the difference between success and failure.
Ezine's
This is a great way of capturing the email address of those who are interested in your products or services. Just place a small subscription form box on your web-site, or place printed forms in your business somewhere, explaining the benefits of your product or service. Launching your own email ezine is a good and fun way to help you build customer loyalty and build a communication link to them other than through traditional advertising.
It builds trust in the eyes of your customers when done right. Doing it right means including useful information about different topics of interest. Make it cheerful and fun so your subscribers will be counting down the days until they receive your next edition.
In addition, be sure to include a note about your special promotions, offers and sales to all members. You can even include coupons that can only be found in your ezine that will allow customers to get secret, un-advertised discounts. This can also help you to track the effectiveness of your ezine. This method will also work with newsletters and emails.
Newsletters
An email newsletter is similar to a regular newspaper but it delivers news directly to your email electronically. Most companies have an email sign up form on their web-site for their newsletters. Your subscribers should be able to set their watches by the arrival time of your newsletter. While newsletters and ezine's are pretty much the same thing it's important to use one or the other to keep in touch with your customers.
Auto-responders
An auto-responder is an easy, web-based email marketing software that delivers your email campaigns, special promotions, sales notices, newsletters, ezine's and follow-ups automatically. This is an absolute must for today's business owners. Once set up, it will allow you to put your marketing efforts on auto-pilot.
The bottom line with auto-responders, and this is extremely important, is you must use a professional auto-responder such as Aweber or GetResponse. Equally important is to use an Opt-in only, type of sign up and I personally would forget about purchasing so called fresh leads.
There are tons of free auto-responder services out there but the simple fact is that they're usually free for a reason; too many advertisements on your out going email messages and deliverability rates to name a few.
Article Marketing
Marketing by using articles can be one of the most effective and least expensive ways to promote your business. This is especially true if you have a web-site. Writing articles about subjects you know about that include keywords related to your business is one of the best ways to get search engines to notice you which can lead to increased traffic to your business. And no, contrary to popular belief, you don't have to be an expert in order to write articles.
Conclusion
Which ever way you choose to promote your business, always remember that the customer is the only reason you have a business in the first place, and you should do everything in your power to make their experience the absolute very best it can be. It's not always about the lowest or cheapest prices either, sometimes it's about how they are being treated that keeps them coming back.
Posted by billenross at 12:48 PM | Comments (0)
February 10, 2008
The Key To Business Success
The average person thinks of a business person as either some kind of poker-faced accountant or some cherubic extroverted sales person. You rarely read an article in the popular medium about an imaginative business person or often hear of one who is highly creative, artistic, and imaginative.
The popular concept of a business person espoused by the media is someone who is rather dull and linear in their thinking. They are referred to more often as "hard-nosed" and "practical." In fact, many business people themselves buy into this erroneous stereotype.
Yet imagination is the heart of business success. While corporations themselves may appear to be based on buttoned-down rules and regulations, the entrepreneurs who started them have all, without exception, been highly creative and imaginative. Those corporations that remain innovative and progressive still retain some themes of imaginative expression.
Napoleon Hill, in his perennially popular book, Think And Grow Rich, goes into great detail about the seminal role of imagination in business success.
He talks about two types of imaginative faculties: "synthetic" imagination and "creative" imagination.
Through synthetic imagination, a person arranges old concepts, ideas, plans, and business models into new combinations. Now while nothing new is created, the new pattern yields surprising results.
For example, the self-help grocery store where customers do all the work of shopping is now very familiar to us, and we can't even remember when things were different.
However, the original business model was to have people come up to the counter of a shop and present their list to the sales clerk who would then run around the store and fetch it for them.
Now, with the use of aisles, clear directional signing, and shopping carts, the job of a store is to keep it stocked and check people out.
In fact, even this idea of checking people out is becoming obsolete, with many stores now offering people the option to check themselves out. Thus, the customer does all the work. Pulling out and wheeling the shopping cart, selecting products, and checking themselves out, and carrying their own bags to their cars.
The result of this arrangement is that everyone is happier. The customer gets to be in control of their shopping experience and the retailer can handle many more customers.
The creative imagination borders on the mystical.
Here is how Napoleon Hill describes it:
"Through the faculty of creative imagination, the finite mind of man had direct communication with Infinite Intelligence. It is the faculty through which 'hunches' and 'inspirations' are received. It is by this faculty that all basic, or new ideas are handed over to man. It is through this faculty that individuals may "tune in," or communicate with the subconscious mind of other men."
An example of creative imagination is the invention of the original recipe of Coca Cola, which went on to spawn the entire soft drink industry.
Business, then, is far from being a game of conservative rule-playing. It is humming with imaginative ideas on how to serve the marketplace. This aspect of business is seldom mentioned in the media and we are often mislead to believe that creative and synthetic imagination is only the domain of the artist.
The business person, especially the entrepreneur, who starts to exercise more imagination, will notice many more ways to make money, creating new channels of supply and demand for the marketplace.
Posted by billenross at 10:12 PM | Comments (0)
January 05, 2008
GPS [Growth Plan for Success]
GPS usually stands for "Global Positioning System." But it could stand for "Growth Plan for Success." You need a plan to reach any stage of success, and success usually is a result of personal growth. Here are a few things to consider for your plan.
Thinking and acting positively is part of training yourself to feel and believe you are going to be successful. It is your self-fulfilling prophecy! But it will only work if you make it work. You need to create your own GPS, not one someone else has created. Others can give you suggestions, but only you can decide what will work for you and your circumstances.
Success is no accident, you do need to make a plan. First, you need to plan our your long-term goals. Decide where you want to be, and then you need to decide on your strategy and have an action plan for things you want to achieve and target dates for reaching those goals.
Set your short-term goals after you determine your long-term goals. Review them on a regular basis. Each successive goal should be just a little harder than you think you can manage. Always make sure you are aiming higher than you think you can reasonably reach at each stage. Even if you don't quite make that higher goal, most likely you will have accomplished more than if you had set your goal lower. Dream dreams, dream big dreams!
Your GPS needs to be a highly visible part of your life every day. It should be a written plan and be somewhere you can see it every morning. You need to review your goals, and review the steps you will take to achieve them. Every day you should pick at least one thing to achieve that takes you nearer to your long-term goal. Take one step at a time, one turn in a new direction at a time, but never stop moving forward, never lose your momentum. It is much harder to start over than it is to keep following your GPS. If you fail to keep sight of your goals, you will never achieve them.
If possible, create a dream board with the things you want to do or have when you reach your "destination." Be as specific as possible. The things you put on your board should be things you get emotional about when you think about them. Don't put a picture of money up there, put a picture of what you want to buy with that money. Think about why it is you want that "thing" you can buy with that money. Then, make a chart of the steps you need to take to reach your goals so that you can cross each item off as you complete them. This will give you a great sense of accomplishment and a realization that you are in control of your success every day by taking at least one step forward.
One way to help you believe in yourself and in your ability to reach your goals is to see yourself in the future one year, two years, or five years from where you are right now. Imagine yourself doubling your current income. How would that make you feel? What would you do with the extra money? What if you tripled your income? What would you do with all of that money? Chances are you may find it difficult to spend all of that money. But now you don't have to worry about paying bills anymore. The more "real" your vision, the deeper the desire becomes and the closer to your "reality" it will become. The universe will already be in motion to give you what you request if you just keep moving forward with your plan.
Make the best use of your time as possible. If you let fear hold you back, you will put off starting on your "trip", whether it be fear of failure or fear of success. Yes, you could actually be afraid to succeed, afraid of what your friends and family will think of you. Procrastination sets in and you may find yourself looking for any excuse to not get started. Maybe you need just one more cup of coffee or you have to read your email first. This is not the way to get to the "road to success." Get focused and get started. It just needs to be progress, it does not need to be perfect.
It's OK to be fearful, that is natural. Take on a task in stages and work out short periods of time to do at least a part of a task. Think of it as stepping stones on a path that you can only see a short distance in front of you. As you step on the next stone, the path in front of you opens up a little more. You don't have to see all the way to the end of the path, you just need to see the next stepping stone and keep moving along the path. Stay focused and don't allow distractions. Allow yourself peace and quiet. Put a sign on the door if necessary to let family members know you are hard at work on your "GPS."
Learn to work the plan, live with the plan, and see the plan as your roadmap to success. Don't treat it as an enemy--actually it is your best friend. Review your progress and goals frequently. Learn from your mistakes and grow with each step of the process. You will never be the same person in the end that you were in the beginning, whether or not you reach your ultimate "destination." Every successful step you take makes you a different person, with more knowledge and skills. Each unsuccessful step you take also makes you a different person, with a different kind of knowledge that will steer you in a different direction.
Make sure your plan allows time for you to enjoy the journey, to think about where you want to go, and why. Enjoy the personal growth you have made along the way. It is the journey that is the most fun, don't miss it while you look into the future.
Plan your future with a success plan, your own "GPS" that becomes your daily routine. Keep challenging yourself to improve your knowledge and skills to succeed, not just in business, but in life as well. Keep moving forward. You will find that success you are looking for.
Posted by billenross at 02:31 PM | Comments (0)
November 09, 2007
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Posted by billenross at 05:43 PM | Comments (0)
September 22, 2007
That First Step
We all know it and we've all had experiences where we realized the truth of it. The first step is often the hardest one to take. Not necessarily because it is so complicated. Although in some situations it can be hard because so many things are unclear at the start. The main reason that getting started with something can be so 'difficult' is because to take that first step requires making a decision and then take it one step further by taking action on that decision.
This goes for babies as well as for adults. A child that starts to walk isn't sure if it can. After all walking is quite a balancing act. Especially if you've never done it before. The child already has the ability to walk. They have the necessary leg muscles and they also have a certain amount of balance since they can already stand. What they lack is confidence. It is mainly this lack of confidence that will keep them from taking that first step. Once the child discovers that it can move around quite easily, as long as they don't try to cross too much distance at once, they become pretty comfortable. Before you know it you wish they were back to their crawling days; there is no more stopping them.
You would think that we grow over this "lack of confidence" thing as we get older. After all, as we grow we develop the ability to reason. And that should give us the ability to make better assessments about what we can and can not do. Apparently this is a bit over optimistic. Our ability to make good assessments is probably slightly overrated. Most decisions, if not all of them, are still made on an emotional basis, not a rational one.
Of course the first step is often used as a metaphor. But taking this literal can help in driving this point home. Tony Robbins, in his Unleash the Power Within seminars, organizes firewalks for thousands of attendees at a time. In firewalking the first step is most definitely the hardest. After the fist step all you do is just keep on walking. You don't think about every step that you take. You just put one foot in front of the other and focus on the person standing at the other end of the burning hot coals. It's that very first step that takes all the courage. The other steps are merely an extension. It doesn't take much courage to keep on going once you've started walking. Stopping is pretty much the last thing on your mind.
It's like this with many other challenges in life as well. Many times we fuss about decisions; things we might want to do, know we should do but somehow just put off again and again. We dread what might happen if things don't turn out perfect. We worry about everything that can go wrong and we develop into masters at coming up with unlimited numbers of excuses. Of course we would rather call these "sound reasons for not moving forward". After all "excuse" is such an ugly word.
Even if you've done something similar before and you were successful at it, you can still get scared another time around. After all, circumstances could be different this time. Perhaps your performance isn't what it used to be. You could have gotten rusty in some areas. Maybe you were just lucky the other time. This phenomenon can even occur in firewalking. For example; imagine you're at a firewalk at a Tony Robbins event in London in February. Around that time of year it will be pretty cold outside. Due to the amount of participants, about 12.000 at such an event, it takes quite a while before you actually get to the burning bed of coals. They have set up the site in such a way that all the people can walk the fire within a 60 to 90 minute timeframe. Before you get to the fire your feet will be so numbed by the cold that you could hardly care less about some glowing coals under your feet. For a short while you may even consider slowing down your pace so you can warm your feet a little. Now take the same firewalk experience in June, when temperatures are a lot more pleasant. This time when you stand in front of the bed of coals your feet won't be numb at all, and you know it. The thought of storming across does seem a bit more challenging when you realize this.
Some doubt is fairly logical when you're trying new things. Even when you have proof that you've done something very similar before and succeeded, fear and doubt can creep back in and stop you dead in your tracks. But if you've done your homework. If you've properly prepared and you know the reasons why it will work, don't spend too much time worrying. It won't do you any good. Just focus on what you need to do and remember that after that first step it all gets easier.
Posted by billenross at 03:00 PM | Comments (0)
September 18, 2007
How To Find Good Clipart and Photos For Your Projects
Whether you are writing an ebook, putting together an HTML newsletter, or setting up a personal web site, you may find that you need good, quality artwork, either illustrations (clipart) or photos.
There are generally two problems you may encounter when you look for clipart or photos online. The first problem is finding something that you can legally use. If you do not know that you have the permission to use a piece of art, then you probably do not. You can use work that you have purchased the right to or have been given the right to use. You cannot use your favorite cartoon character or a professional photograph of your favorite singer.
The rule of thumb in looking for graphics online is to look for royalty-free clipart and photos. This means you may use the work without paying a continuing royalty fee for use. You may receive the right to use the artwork free of charge, you may pay a fee to access such artwork (say $15.95 a month for unlimited downloads), you may pay for the right to use that particular piece, or you may agree to link back to the creator's site in exchange for the royalty-free use of the artwork.
The second problem with finding clipart and photos online is that good royalty-free art may be more expensive than you would hope. This is changing rapidly as sites like StockXchange, iStockPhoto and Dreamstime make it easier for photographers to sell their work and for consumers to find clipart they need.
The key to finding exactly the right art for your project is to have a very good idea of what you are going to need before you start. Think about color, shape, size and resolution (whether it will be printed or posted online makes a difference).
While you cannot predict exactly what you want without looking at some art and having an aha moment, you can know in general what you are looking for. When you find the right art for your project, try to get a low-resolution file (sometimes called a comping image), to try in your layout. This image cannot be used in your project and will have a very large visible watermark on it but it will allow you to see firsthand how it will look.
Especially if you have selected a fairly expensive image, this is a crucial step in deciding whether you have found exactly the right image for your project. It is surprising how often the "perfect" image looks positively awful once it is placed.
The most important thing may be to realize that you are not going to find the "perfect" image and just go for what you believe works. You may find something that looks great, but your are tempted to keep looking to see if anything else can be found that is better. The advice is don't!
Decide what you need, find something that fits the bill, and move on with the rest of your project. Otherwise you may spend a waste a lot of time searching for something that may not exist. The biggest obstacle to finishing a project on-time and on-budget is trying to go from great to perfect, when great is usually good enough.
Posted by billenross at 07:55 AM | Comments (0)
September 12, 2007
Customer Service: Top 10 Things You Should NEVER Do
If you're a smart business owner or manager, you know that to gain new customers and keep existing ones, your employees must continuously provide exceptional customer service. Unfortunately, getting that point across to your employees, who tend to lapse into a coma at the start of formal customer service training, can be challenging.
Because the use of humor often helps to make training more interesting (and therefore more effective), let's borrow a bit from late-night funny man David Letterman. Share the following Top 10 list with your employees to give them a chuckle--and sneak in a little customer service training at the same time!
"Top 10 Things You Should NEVER Do When Striving to Provide Exceptional Customer Service"
10. Post a sign proclaiming "Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part!"
9. Laugh hysterically when a customer asks if you can provide requested information by the end of the day.
8. Put a customer's letter in the bottom of your In Box (otherwise known as the Black Hole).
7. Think about your dream vacation in Bakersfield while a customer is explaining what he/she needs.
6. Set a new land speed record heading out the back door when you spot a customer approaching with an "I have a problem" look on his/her face.
5. Do your famous grizzly bear impersonation when a customer interrupts your real job by asking for help.
4. Say "I'm working on that right now" when a customer calls to ask about the status of his/her request--while you're reading a tabloid story about celebrities who give their babies weird names.
3. Put your customer's call on hold while you head home for the weekend.
2. Use the following nonverbal cues while expressing your desire to help: sticking out your tongue, rolling your eyes, shaking your fist, pounding your head on the desk.
And the number-one thing you should NEVER do when striving to provide exceptional customer service...
1. Answer every question with "It beats the hell out of me" or "You've mistaken me for someone who cares" or "Why are you still here?" or "The dog ate my brain."
Here's one more important customer service tip you should share with your employees: everyone they deal with is a customer. This includes their coworkers, their subordinates, and their superiors (including you), as well as the people who buy your company's products or services. You can easily adapt the above Top 10 list to internal customer service tips by substituting the word "coworker" for "customer."
Posted by billenross at 10:28 AM | Comments (0)
September 04, 2007
Contact Management Software
In business, what you know about your prospect or customer could determine whether or not you make the sale. So tracking that information is paramount. Contact management software is designed to help you stay on top of all of your valuable contact information.
There are two types of contact management systems -- the personal ones designed for the individual or sales person who needs the contact's name and other essentials at his fingertips while on the road or phone. The other type of contact manager allows a number of people in a company to share and update information about prospects and customers. For larger companies, there are customer relationship management (CRM) systems with many features tied to a large data base.
What are the benefits of Contact Management Software?
Manufacturers say they are designed to improve the efficiency of your business by making your people more productive. A good contact manager can cut costs while increasing revenue. Also, contact management software can make it easier for a company to satisfy customer needs and provide better reporting for management oversight.
Typically, a contact management system lets you automate some customer relationship tasks. Some programs let you create a series of activities that are carried out in sequence as prospects are added to your sales funnel. For example, you can specify that a prospect receive a postcard on day one, followed by a sales letter, three days later, and then a phone call followed by another postcard.
All contact managers include a calendar system. And most let you attach a word document, spreadsheet or sales presentation, so you have everything in one place when you are communicating with a customer or prospect. More powerful CRM systems provide tools to improve a company's ability to forecast sales and integrate the sales and marketing function.
You have a choice between software that runs on your desktop or web-based solutions that you can access anywhere. Most solutions let you synchronize your data with a Blackberry or Pocket PC.
With so many options, how do you choose the right contact management software for your needs? Here are some questions to consider before you shop:
1. What functions would you like the system to perform?
2. How many employees need to be able to share the information? A Desktop solution might provide everything you need, but it might be easier for a far-flung sales force to stay current with a web-based solution.
3. Are you using some other system currently?
4. How soon do you need to implement the new system? Some contact management solutions have a steep learning curve or require programming expertise to implement properly.
5. Will you need the contact management system to integrate with your accounting software, Microsoft Outlook, or a data base?
6. Can you customize the system to fit the way your business is organized?
Armed with the answers to these questions, you should be able to find the contact management software that will work best for you.
Posted by billenross at 08:40 AM | Comments (0)
September 01, 2007
Outsourcing
As an entrepreneur, it is important to have continuous growth in your business in order to be successful. One of the ways that can help your business grow is outsourcing.
Outsourcing is when you choose certain business activities that you currently handle and then deciding to use an outside business source to handle the activity instead. This simple definition can bring peace of mind to an overloaded entrepreneur.
Case in point, as a web designer, clients may expect you to have the ability to create or install everything that revolves around the Internet. However, your skill set may not include some of your client needs such as creating an online shopping cart. So it would be good to find a business associate that you trust and outsource the online shopping cart to them.
However, make sure when you choose an outsourcing business partner that you keep the following things in mind:
1. Choose someone that you can trust not to steal your clients away.
2. Choose someone who has the same business ethics as you.
3. Make sure that this person has the skills to complete specific tasks before outsourcing to them.
4. Ask for client samples and references so that you can get feedback from their clients regarding their work habits.
5. Make sure to have a contract that includes a non-compete clause in it.
The list above is just a running start on some of the things that you need to keep in mind when outsourcing. After you have determined whom you will outsource projects to, make sure to have a service level agreement (SLA) with them too.
The SLA should fully explain your expectation of the type of service they will provide to your clients along with time frames for completing the projects. The SLA should be put in place the same time as the outsourcing contract.
Finally, you should make sure that you have a process in place for handling your outsourcing project. For instance, you need to include the following in your outsourcing to do list.
1. Client name
2. Outsourcing project details
3. Time line
4. Special requirements
There are other things that you may need to add to this list but the list above are the basic items that need to be included in your outsourcing to do list.
Now that you have a template for outsourcing projects, you can start planning for adding more clients to your business. Do not be afraid of outsourcing but embrace it and learn how it will free you up to do more with your business to grow it.
Posted by billenross at 12:09 PM | Comments (0)
August 29, 2007
Mister Rogers Wins Big
In an age of inauthentic marketing and sales messages, it's refreshing to see a sales message that is real and truly authentic.
Think hype sells? Watch this...
Posted by billenross at 05:27 PM | Comments (0)
July 25, 2007
How Small Businesses Waste Money
Most business owners subscribe to the thought that you "must spend money to make money". This can be true, but you also must know exactly where that money is going and the results it brings. A small business owner never has any money to waste.
Some ways that your business might waste money includes the following:
1. Manage your credit cards - If you have several cards, develop a computer program that will show you the exact balances, due dates, and the interest rate you are paying. Always be aware of other solicitations that save you money and possibly change your balances over to a new company. If you have any employee cards, see if you can set a limit on them. If not with the credit card company, make sure that the employees know their limits. Manage your credit cards wisely and never, ever miss a due date.
2. Develop an annual plan so you know where you will spend money. This helps you in several ways. The business person will be aware of what portion of the profits are going to advertising, towards incentives, towards accounting and other internal expenses, etc.
3. Do not over-purchase any products or services for a business. If you buy in bulk, the money is tied up and a place must be provided to keep the extras and that might be costing money not needed to be spent.
5. A small business owner will sometimes be under self-induced stress to manage all aspects of the business. Sometimes, leaving the control and decisions to others that are qualified is the best way to manage the business. Releasing control may be hard to do sometimes, but in a lot of businesses, money can be wasted because the owner cannot possibly be as efficient as the person who has studied or is knowledgeable about a particular field. For instance, if a business owner does not know accounting, many mistakes in reporting income and taxes can be made. A qualified accountant can possibly save more than the cost of their services in reduced taxes.
Take a hard look around your business and do not let anything be set in stone if saving money is the goal. Challenge everything that will cost money and see what can be done to change the situation. Any money that is saved, is money that can be put back into the business either in profits or in growth.
A business owner wants their business to be successful and will work hard to sustain growth. A business owner wants a way to continue making and growing money from a product or service that is interesting to them. After growing a business and being smart with cash flow, many business owners will sell their businesses only to start another business.
The reason is that business owners are independent types and challenges are rewarding when met and faced. Saving money through every day operations will help the business owner to meet their financial and emotional goals.
Posted by billenross at 08:37 PM | Comments (0)
July 20, 2007
Why Muti-tasking Sucks
When one thinks of great American businesses of the past names like Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Sr., William Randolph Hearst and a myriad of others come to mind. The great robber barons of old built businesses on the backs of hardworking employees that toiled for long hours and most often on wages and work ethics, most today cannot understand.
This was a time of innocence and growth as a nation. The rules of business back then were simpler and in most cases made a lot more sense as shown through business practices that made sense to the common man. Somewhere along the journey, though this set of ideals was replaced by people lacking the common sense business practices of yesteryear with people who no longer owned the business but by employees managing employees.
With this we have seemed to turn business into this great game of which way is the wind blowing today. Many American businesses are no longer run for the good of its owners but rather for a select groups of individuals that are more concerned with the closing price of their stock options today rather than what is best for the long-term health and development of the company over the long-term.
While our Asian counter parts plan for ten, twenty and a hundred years from now American businesses are stuck worrying about the next fiscal quarter. Out of this short-term philosophy come poor business judgments and even more foolish business practices. One such currently popular business practice known as multi-tasking is a prime example of the lack of common sense.
On the surface, multi-tasking sounds like the golden formula to solve all our competitive problems, someone doing two or three tasks at once will be able to do so much more now. Sounds great on the surface, right? While in theory this may sound like a good way to get more done and be more responsive to the ever changing world with all its mishaps and fires that must be dealt with it is not the nirvana it is made out to be.
When in practice this has to be one of the most ill-advised practices of modern business there could be. Why you may ask? Although the thought of the human robot doing multiple task at once like a computer running multiple programs at once sounds great on the surface the sad fact is humans are not computers and all the managerial pressure in the world is not going to change this.
Humans work best at one task at a time with minimal interruption. Every time we have to change tasks to do, something else creates an interruption, which in turn takes time to switch gears from and come up to speed on the new task. It is rather like having to restart your computer every time you want to do a new document or a new program for a moment if you had to do this how much would your computer get done in the day?
If every restart took just three minutes, this would add up to hours every week. Why then is it that American business loves this so much, because it is busy work people look like they are so busy and getting so much done when in essence if they were left to one task at a time they would get almost an extra days worth of work done in the same amount of time. So, lose the multi-tasking super highway and let humans' function humanely again.
Posted by billenross at 04:17 PM | Comments (0)
July 13, 2007
Business Networking For Stronger Sales
Every business depends on networking between employees and other stakeholders in the company to accomplish the goals of management. To be effective in a small business, you have to take a look at the way a corporation builds its network of clients and recruits their employees. Effective networking practices assure the highest profitability for a business. This is why human resources is such a high priority in the corporate world. A corporation draws its strength from its client base and the reputation it builds by recruiting the best and brightest employees.
If you are a small business owner, you have probably thought of expanding your business. The way to increase sales is done through either leveraging capital or human resources. To leverage capital, you would borrow money and invest it in your means of production. This might be better equipment, more employees or anything that would increase your productivity.
Most small businesses choose to leverage human resources. A good example of this is an affiliate program. The idea behind running an affiliate program is to offer other companies or individuals a monetary incentive for acting as agents to sell your products to the public.
This is a good example of effective networking because you have a built-in loyal workforce once you have hired your affiliates. The benefits to the merchant are increased sales, market share and product visibility.
Another popular form of networking is direct sponsorship in a Multi-Level Marketing organization. In this type of marketing plan, an individual sponsors many other people into an organization. Then he trains this group of people on how to sponsor more people into the organization themselves. This method results in a very large base of marketers working to sell products for the company. The original sponsor gets paid for his efforts by the volume of sales his team produces. The profit trickles down through the organization based on the number of people each group leader has sponsored and the sales volume achieved by each member of the group for the sales period.
Affiliate programs and MLM are not for every company. There are costs of maintenance, and a payroll to meet every month. The biggest advantage of using these programs is that a non-employee of the company makes every sale. This way the company does not have to pay the worker's benefits and Social Security taxes. Each affiliate or network marketer is an independent taxable entity. They are not employees of the company from a legal standpoint.
Business owners must decide for themselves the best way to expand their business when it comes time to do so. It all comes down to a cost per sale analysis. Finding the best way to capitalize your business always includes market research and weighing the benefits of your available options.
If you decide to use one of the methods outlined above, it is best to discuss this move with a qualified marketing specialist. Also hire a qualified accountant for taxes and payroll purposes. You may want to talk to other business people who have successfully made this change for more information.
Update: Just heard about a new business network. Marzar is a social media platform for businesses it has been described as a facebook for businesses
Posted by billenross at 05:33 PM | Comments (0)
July 10, 2007
Business Cards
A business card may be the most overlooked advertising medium in the business world. But these simple rectangles of cardboard can be powerful tools to help any entrepreneur increase sales. Similarly, a poorly thought out or clumsily designed business card could be as much of a detriment for your sales as an "out of business" sign.
Business cards have actually been around for much longer than most people realize. The first ones, in the form of visiting cards or calling cards, were used in China about 600 years ago. They started being used in Europe approximately 200 years lager. When one aristocrat went out to visit another, the prospective guest's servant would deliver his master's calling card to the servant of the prospective host. An elaborate system of calling card etiquette developed and was followed by the gentry across England and France.
Today, anyone from North America or Europe who has gone on a business trip to Japan, China or other Asian countries knows there is very much a tradition of etiquette that must be followed when exchanging business cards in those countries.
But even if you are only going to be doing business in your hometown, you can help boost that business by following four tips before you have your next business cards printed.
2. Individualize. You are a unique individual, and your business card should reflect your unique personality. One easy way to do this is to put your photograph on your card. Of, if you are an artist, crafts person or photographer, why not put an image of one of your creations on the card? If you sell unique widgets, put an illustration of them on your card.
3. Proofread. Just as a wood worker should always measure twice before he cuts, every word should be double checked for proper spelling. Every telephone number should be dialed and every web address visited to make sure they are letter perfect before your card goes to press.
4. Use the back. Your business card has two sides, and you are missing a prime opportunity if you leave the back of your card blank. Instead, utilize that space to say what is most important about you, your business, product or service. It could be as simple as "bring this card in for a 10% discount." Or you could use the back of your card to show off testimonials from some of your satisfied customers.
There are several very good Internet business card companies that let you design your own cards online. In some cases, their shipping costs are less than it would cost you to drive to a local print shop and back.
Finally, if you only need a few cards, or if you want to experiment with different card designs, you can purchase perforated, blank business card stock at office supply stores and make your own cards using templates that come with many computer word processing software programs.
However your business cards are eventually printed, remember that they may leave a lasting impression of you and your business for many years to come.
Posted by billenross at 05:56 PM | Comments (0)
July 09, 2007
Small Business Marketing
Too many entrepreneurs and small businesses dive right into the thick of operations without following basic marketing principles. In business, as in most things, it pays to occasionally take a step back and evaluate the bigger picture. Drafting a very basic marketing plan can help you focus on the right activities, target the right customers and set the best prices.
Segmentation
Segmentation is simply a fancy way of saying that you need to identify your customer. Think of every possible customer. Now, start slicing that population into smaller, more defined segments (thus the name segmentation). It's best to start big here - for example: split individuals from businesses. Now, go into each segment and divide it further. You could split individuals further by sex, age, socio-economic status, geographic location, interests and hobbies and so on. At this point, try not to pigeon-hole yourself by prematurely selecting segments. Remember, you're trying to find meaningful groups of potential buyers that will exhibit similar buying behavior.
Your goal is to identify opportunities. Once you feel that you have subdivided the market finely enough, then you need to evaluate those segments. Try to quantify how large those segments are, how reachable they are and how unique they are from one another (i.e. is there considerable overlap from one to the next?).
Targeting
The segment you choose will have a profound effect on everything else you do. You need to carefully evaluate the most appropriate route for you business. When deciding between different market segments, you will want to try and identify the competition for that segment, the potential value of the segment (i.e. how large is it, how expensive will it be to reach it with advertising, etc.).
Positioning
You've segmented the market and you've chosen the segment that you are going to go after. The last part of your marketing plan will help you define how you are going to "position" your product or service to your selected target market. This is where you will invoke another handy acronym called the 4P's - Product, Price, Promotion, and Place.
Product
You need to focus your product towards your selected target. What do the people/firms in your segment want or need? If you are working with an existing product, you need to make sure it fits your intended target market. If it doesn't, can it be altered so that it does? It's critical to match the right product with the right customer.
Price
Pricing your offering is an art. You must consider many factors, such as the stigma different price points carry - for example, being too inexpensive sends a message that your product may be junk. It's also critical to consider the competition here. It makes little sense to target the same market with a similar product at the same price as your competitors. Entire books have been written on the subject of pricing. The important thing to keep in mind is that you can't lock yourself into a cost plus profit margin way of thinking. Instead, consider the price independently at first in terms of your competition and the value your offering brings to the customer.
Promotion
This is what most people think of when they hear the word marketing. As you can see though, it takes a fair amount of work before you get to this point. Promotion is simply how you intend to get the message to your customers about your offering. Will you use commercials, magazine advertisements, radio, the internet, mass mailings?
Place
Lastly, you need to think about how you will bring your product to market. This is sometimes referred to as marketing channels. That is to say, will you sell directly to the customer or will you sell to distributors or retailers who will then sell it to customers? Where geographically will you sell your product? Will you sell entirely on-line or in a traditional brick-and-mortar location?
Bringing it all together
You probably already have some or most of your marketing plan in your head. However, following this tried-and-true process can help you formalize your marketing strategy and can help you to identify holes in your business and it sometimes can help you identify opportunities that you might not have thought to exploit.
Posted by billenross at 06:10 AM | Comments (0)
June 28, 2007
Lead Generation
Let's start with a short definition of what lead generation really is.
Lead generation is a marketing term that refers to the creation or generation of prospecting consumer interest or inquiry into a business' products or services.
So this means that every conceivable business would participate in some form of lead generation. After all, businesses must make sales to stay in business so they are always looking for leads/customers.
Since lead generation is such a broad subject, we will concentrate on the various forms of web marketing lead generation that are:
1. Email marketing, e-zines, newsletters
2. Search engine optimization (SEO)
3. Pay-per-click (PPC), pay-per-lead (PPL), pay-per- action (PPA), pay-per-impression (PPI) and pay-per-sale (PPS)
4. Free classifieds and Free For All (FFA's)
5. Hire a lead generation company.
6. Buy leads from a Co-Registration lead broker
Let's discuss each of the above forms of lead generation.
Advertising in e-zines or newsletters are good avenues for acquiring targeted leads. You should subscribe to various e-zines to verify that the readers would be interested in your offer. Then select those e-zines you feel are targeted to your niche and place a solo ad, as sponsor ad or a classified ad.
Usually the solo ad is more expensive as this type of ad gets a full page or a separate mailing, whereas the sponsor's ad is about a quarter page and the classified ad is only a few lines. Your best bet is with the solo ad.
Costs vary greatly among e-zines. Obviously the total circulation of the e-zine guides the price of these e-zine ads, the larger the e-zine circulation, the higher the price per ad.
Search engine optimization (SEO), is the practice of designing your website to score well with the search engines and thereby get listed in the top ten of a designated search by viewers, is a daunting task. Competition is fierce for those spots unless you have a very narrow niche with a long tail keyword phrase.
In a PPC agreement, the advertiser only pays for qualifying clicks to the destination website based on a pre-arranged per-click rate. Popular PPC advertising options include per-click advertising networks, Google's AdWords or Yahoo's Search Marketing, and affiliate programs.
PPC is the process of writing a short, three or four-line ad to be displayed by the search engine, that contains the keywords on which you have bid money. Each time that ad is "clicked on" by a viewer; you must pay your bid amount to the search engine.
If you manage to convert enough of your visitors into sales, your PPC campaign will be profitable.
Pay-per-action is the action defined in a cost-per-action agreement that relates directly to some type of conversion, a sale being made or a registration of some sort is the most common.
In a pay-per-lead agreement, the advertiser only pays for leads generated at their destination website. No payment is made for visitors who do not sign up.
Pay-per-impression is a typical referral link/banner ad arrangement where the website wanting to purchase advertising space pays the host's website for each time it displays the ad.
Typically, prices are set per 1000 exposures and software is added to the hosting web server to track the number of impressions displayed.
Free Classified and Free For All advertising is not really recommended. These ads are not targeted ads and you are very lucky to receive one lead out of a 1000. Search engines have started to ignore links from Free Classified and especially the ones from FFA pages. You have better ways to spend your time than fooling with these unproductive methods.
Buying leads can be very costly. You have probably seen the ads claiming to "blast your ads to a zillion leads for only $29.95." You might just as well give that $29.95 to your favorite charity because you will not be getting anything back from the so-called blaster.
However, there is one type of lead purchase that has recently seen some success and that would be Co-Registration leads.
What is a Co-Registration lead?
Co-Registration occurs when someone registers for one thing (for instance, a membership or a magazine subscription) and then is offered more information on a related topic (such as making money from home). In another case, they might be visiting a website targeted to entrepreneurs and a pop-up asks if they would like related free information by email. Those who sign on are very good targeted leads as they have opted in to receive more information.
Once you have your leads opt-in to your own list, now you can pamper them, shower them with gifts and take extra good care of them because they are now your future.
You must gain their trust and once you have that, you have to live up to that trust by being honest and above board with them at all time. They will then buy from you again and again.
This is what it's all about.
Posted by billenross at 10:20 AM | Comments (0)
June 24, 2007
Are You Just A Product of Your Environment?
Most people don't particularly like the idea that they are merely products of their environment. But whether the suggestion in the title appeals to you or not, it describes the situation for most people pretty accurately. Most of our thoughts, emotions, actions, behaviors and habits are dictated directly or indirectly by our environment.
We would all like to think of ourselves as such a person and we all have the ability to be just that. But hanging around people who are just about the opposite, in other words: most people, won't do much good. It's not that much a question of whether or not you are a product of your environment.
The question is : Do you like what your environment has made of you?" Or even better, and certainly more accurate: "Do you like what you have allowed your environment to make of you?" If you do. Great! If not. You basically have two options; change how and when you allow your environment to influence you or change your environment. The former might seem easier, since it allows you to stay within your comfort zone, but it is in fact a lot harder than you might think. After all, if it were that easy you would already have done it.
Changing your environment can be easy enough, but it does take a conscious decision on your part. Your 'environment' or your 'peer group' usually consists of about five people. These are the people that you spend the majority of your time with and these are also the people that influence you the most. Like it or not. So if you're not satisfied with your results and you would like to change where you are in life, a change in your environment may be the smartest first step to take.
You could make achieving your goals and reaching success in life so much easier if you would just be a bit more choosy when it comes to the people in your environment. Take an active role in determining who is and who is not allowed into your peer group. Instead of just letting other people claim you for theirs. To some this may seem like a chore; consciously selecting who they spend their time with or posing as somebody else and pretending to be something they're not in order to fit in.
A lot of people also consider it to be unethical or opportunistic to apply this kind of selectiveness to determine who they spend their time with. Many people also mistake being selective in who you spend your time with for being insincere. As if you were taking advantage of someone else by spending time with them. Of course if you actually try to take advantage of someone, he or she will notice this sooner or later and when that happens, that person will no longer be a part of your peer group. However, if you sincerely want to get ahead in life there is nothing wrong with looking for people that can increase you chances of success.
The good thing about being around like-minded individuals is that you enjoy each others company because you think alike on at least a number of subjects that you both consider to be important. These people won't feel exploited by you at all. They'll probably enjoy your company as much as you do theirs. And you will have a lot less trouble filtering all sorts of negative influences from these people. Simply because they won't give you a lot of it.
They may give you a lot of constructive criticism or hold you to higher standards than you are used to, but they aren't likely to crush your hopes and dreams and try to de-motivate you. If you have a carefully selected peer group it's as if you have a whole team of security guards protecting the door to your mind instead of just one.
Of course this doesn't mean that you can't still spend time with the people you currently hang around. These people may still be very important to you. They may be close friends and family and by no means should you completely erase them from your life. Although in some cases that might not be a bad suggestions. It is important to realize that continuing to devote most of your time, attention and energy to them can seriously hurt you and your future.
As the expression goes: "Love your family, Choose your peers". If you really want to get ahead in life you better take that phrase to heart. After all, time is a very precious commodity of which all of us are only given a certain amount. We might as well spend it in an environment that is supportive to our goals and dreams.
Posted by billenross at 10:59 AM | Comments (0)
February 08, 2007
Two Words that Separate the Online Winners from the Quitters
Ask five people what to do to be successful when starting a business and you will probably get five different answers. Everything from, "you absolutely have to have a business plan" to "failure is eminent without my new software." Although a business plan is very important and there are some very valuable software applications to grow a business, there is one aspect of success that seems to be very hard for many people to overcome.
Here's a story to illustrate the point. A friend, named Joe wanted to start an Internet marketing business. Before he began selling anything he hired someone to coach him. The coach did not have any really revolutionary ideas, pretty much the same as the other guru's but he was honest with Joe when he needed to hear the truth. Joe followed his instructions on researching profitable niches. Once Joe's coach emailed him with a suggestion that he thought would make it easier for Joe, but Joe responded saying that he thought the suggestion made by his coach was nearly impossible. Joe told him, "I cannot do that, it's too hard." The response from the coach was paramount to Joe's success. It changed everything for Joe. He replied saying, "Joe, if you think you can't then you're probably right."
Joe understood what his coach was getting at. Joe's own thoughts about what he thought he could and could not do were holding him back. Joe decided that very day that he could in fact do what his coach suggested to find a profitable niche. That's right, he made a decision that he could do it and that he would not give up. Not only did Joe find a very profitable niche, he found ten profitable niches. Joe quickly started his first internet business selling a hard good product and it turned out to be a total success. This rest as they say is history.
Ask yourself, what could you do if you removed "I can't" from your vocabulary and weren't hindered by what you think are your abilities. Joe knew nothing about the niche he started in and even so his business took off like gangbusters. He learned about his product as he went along. He didn't know how to build a website but he learned. Joe's success had nothing to do with a large starting capital because he started with less than $300.
Your success at any business venture has very little to do with talent, money you have to invest, knowledge about the product and a whole host of other excuses that people come up with about why they can't start an internet business. Your success does have everything to do with your determination to succeed and perseverance when challenges come your way. Now don't go and throw money down the toilet because you don't want to give up, please use common sense. If you haven't made any money after a couple months don't decide that online marketing isn't for you. Consider moving on to find another niche. There are millions of hungry buyers in thousands of niches waiting to buy. Keep plugging away until you find a need to meet in a specific niche and fill that need. It will only take a few months to get to know your market.
Every single month, there are millions of people searching for information on how to make money on the internet, yet less than 3% of those people ever actually make any money. The difference among those that succeed and those that do not is that the ones who make money don't back down when faced with the same challenges that all online marketers face. It comes down to this, you have to delete the phrase, "I can't" from your vocabulary. Don't be one of the 97% that give up right before you strike gold.
Posted by billenross at 04:57 PM | Comments (0)
January 19, 2007
The Power of Sharing
It has been said that "If you give, you shall receive". This saying is often used to refer to giving of your time, your effort, your money or other material things before you can reasonably expect to receive any of these things from others. All of these things can be very valuable, but one of the most powerful things to share, and also one of the easiest, is thoughts and ideas.
When we consider sharing something, we often think of this as parting with something. Share some of your money and you will no longer be able to spend it yourself. Share some chocolate and whoever you share it with gets to taste this delicious substance, not you. At least you won't taste all of it. Sharing, in these cases, means parting with. It means you give something away that you will no longer benefit from directly. This is not the case with thoughts and ideas. When you share a thought or a good idea that doesn't mean you lose it. It doesn't even mean there is any less left for you. As a matter of fact, quite the opposite is true. You can truly be enriched by the thoughts and ideas you share with other people. Share some wisdom with someone else and now two can benefit from it. Even though there was no cost involved for you in sharing it, to the person on the receiving end it could represent a huge value.
Unfortunately we often try to keep things for ourselves in order to keep a competitive advantage. To 'keep the edge' so to speak. This is understandable and can sometimes be a good strategy. Certain information can be extremely valuable and if it really gives you this 'edge' then keeping it to yourself may be the smart thing to do. In reality however most of us don't possess any information that really offers sustainable advantage over others. The truth is that the real advantage in this day and age, with the Internet at everybody's fingertips, is no longer in any single piece of information. The people that have been most successful have done so by combining ideas and concepts into combinations that others haven't thought of. From this perspective not sharing your ideas may actually rob you of many opportunities and as such cost you a great deal.
In business, as well as in personal life, breakthroughs often come from a combination of ideas. Rarely is one man's creative idea completely fabricated by his own mind. The tossing back and forth of ideas and concepts usually plays a critical role in the development of new ideas. In discussing the potential application of a certain technology with a customer, this customer can come up with ideas that you would have never thought of. After all it's the customer's business and he probably knows more about it than you do. Especially when you're talking to an entrepreneurial type of individual. Most entrepreneurs are always looking for new opportunities to improve their bottom line and expand their business. Now why would he share his ideas with you if you haven't shared anything with him? Good question. You could of course turn the situation around; why share anything with him if he hasn't shared anything with you? Although this may be a fair question, it isn't really relevant. After all this is exactly the deadlock situation that hampers so much creativity. Of course there is always a risk of someone running off with one of your ideas. So it wouldn't be a bad idea to protect your idea or at least a part of it. You could for instance leave out some details that aren't necessary to paint the big picture but would surely be critical in bringing the idea to fruition.
The human brain makes connections based on our frame of reference. Since every persons frame of reference is unique it's possible for a group of 1000 individuals to listen to one and the same speech, talk or idea and yet, have all of them interpret it differently. As a matter of fact, this is not just possible, it will inevitably be the case. Since no two persons share the exact same background, body of knowledge and life experiences. These differences in interpretations could therefore lead to very different concepts and ideas a person could come up with. That is where one of the most powerful aspects of sharing comes into play. Your ideas may spark a new idea in someone else that you would never have thought of by yourself, which in turn sparks another idea in you that they would never have thought of by themselves. Of course this doesn't have to be a conscious sharing of ideas. Most of the time it will happen without you actually being aware of it. A thought will come up that you think is your own when in fact it was initially put their by someone else. In your quest for ideas your mind dug up this idea and perhaps linked it to some other fragments in your memory banks that, put together, formed a new breakthrough idea.
Even though this is mostly unconscious, it's still a good strategy to share more ideas on a consistent basis. Think of it like this; every time you share something a number of things happen. For starters, you deposit something into someone else's memory bank. You never know what this little piece of information, this concept will do for the person you share it with. Perhaps it does nothing for them but it eventually does for someone else they share it with. This person may or may not share something with you in return. But there is a universal law that states that: "If you give out, something is coming back". The law doesn't say that it's coming back on Thursday morning at 10.00, when you might need it the most. It just says "It's coming back". In many cases when you share something, that person will feel obligated to share something with you. Perhaps right away, perhaps a month from now. Not necessarily out of obligation, but out of human nature. This is the law of reciprocity at work. Whenever they share something with you, that concept will be stored inside your head. Perhaps you may not see an immediate use for it. In many cases you probably never will. However you never know when and in what situation their idea may turn out to be useful. Perhaps in combination with some other ideas that have yet to be shared with you by other people.
But guess what? If you don't share your thoughts with them, they may not share theirs with you. And because you didn't share you missed out on that one little idea that you needed to put everything in its place. Who knows how much you will miss out on because of that? It's safe to say that not sharing could cost you infinitely more than keeping it all to yourself would ever earn you. And that is just too much of a price to pay. So whenever you have the opportunity to share some worthwhile thoughts with another person, do so. It may work wonders, for you and them, and it won't cost a thing.
The best learning resource I've ever experienced about this topic was produced by Dr. Robert Anthony. My wife and I have listened to his audios dozens of times over the past two years, and every time we listen - we learn something new. His take on the Law Of Attraction is the only one that has ever made sense to either of us.
Posted by billenross at 09:00 PM | Comments (0)
January 14, 2007
5 Quick Newsletter Tips
You know you need to stay in touch with the people on your list, but you're in two minds about starting a newsletter. Will it take up too much of your time? What if you run out of things to say? Can you maintain quality over a period of time? How long should your newsletter be?
Your first aim should be to offer useful or interesting information. (If you don't do that, you won't have subscribers for long!) Your second aim should be to keep your newsletter short. Remember that people are inundated with email these days - they actually prefer something they can skim quickly and then put to use.
Spend some time thinking about the best format. You need a model that will be easy to reproduce week after week, month after month. Any one of the following five ideas will make your job easier. Choose one and keep it as a regular format, or combine several of them (for example, you could use the "Tip of the Week" format for weeks 1-3 each month, and offer a checklist every fourth newsletter).
1. Tip of the Week
This one speaks for itself. You can easily brainstorm enough content for six months of weekly newsletters (you need to come up with 24 tips, which you will present weekly). Anyone with a degree of expertise on a given topic should be able to do this without any trouble. A handy way to organize this is to (a) explain the problem then (b) offer the tip which will solve it. Length? Anything from 150 - 500 words.
2. Top Ten
This is a tried and true format, and easy to create. Example: if you are an expert on finance, you could offer advice on the Top Ten Ideas for Getting Out of Debt, or the Top Ten Ways to Save Money on Car Expenses, or the Top Ten Tips to Pay Off Your Mortgage in Ten Years. Make sure you keep a tight rein on word length - just offer a couple of sentences for each tip, not half a page.
3. Three Ways to...
Sometimes it can be a bit of a challenge to come up with ten ways to do things, whereas just three ideas is a cinch. You can also explore three ideas in more detail. Alternatively, you can alternate the "Top Ten" format with "Three Ways to...” the two of them will work together nicely.
4. Before and After
Who doesn't like makeovers? This works in a similar way to 'Tip of the Week' in that you show the problem and then provide a solution, but the 'before and after' approach lends itself better to case studies. This is a good way to interact with your clients - invite them to send in details of whatever needs a makeover: an article, a website page, their wardrobe etc, then present your solutions. Alternatively, you can ask for 'before and after' examples from readers who have managed to do this themselves, then showcase it for the rest of your customers. (If you don't use HTML for your newsletters, you can add a link to a website page for the accompanying photos.) This works particularly well if you have a health and fitness related newsletter - your readers will be motivated by seeing the changes others have made through diet, exercise and weight training.
5. Checklists
When you're learning to do something new, there's nothing like a checklist to make sure you don't leave out a crucial step. Checklists can save a lot of time, and your readers will be delighted to get one. Write a brief introductory paragraph, present the checklist, and then follow it with a few final tips. You can either base your entire newsletter on the checklist format, or present one at regular intervals as a change from the standard article format.
Final tip: set up an address at yahoo or gmail just for newsletters. Spend a few hours checking out sites related to your own interests, and sign up for any free newsletters. Every so often, check your new email account and browse, looking specifically to see what approach other editors use for layout and articles. When you see a format you like, print it out and put it in an 'ideas' folder. Unsubscribe from any that are constantly filled with junk or endless sales pitches.
Posted by billenross at 02:03 PM | Comments (0)
January 09, 2007
Media Training 301
Become a Partner, Not a Player
Every business owner should include getting publicity as a part of his or her overall marketing strategy. However, there is a lot more to garnering free publicity for your business than just writing – and sending – press releases.
You want to build a long-term relationship with the media, and become known as a resource, an expert in your industry. That doesn't happen overnight, and it doesn't happen by accident. It takes time, careful planning and a strategy. The good news is that you don't have to spend tens of thousands of dollars, or hire an outside agency to do it for you.
Before you can start creating a buzz and building a successful publicity campaign, you need to know three things:
1. Why do you want publicity in the first place? Are you trying to build credibility? Let people know about your product or services? Create or strengthen your business's brand?
2. What is your message? When putting together your publicity campaign, you need to know what you're going to say and how to say it so that you achieve your ultimate goals.
3. What type of coverage are you looking for? (There are three types: Newspaper/visual, radio/audio, and Television/visual/audio). Of these three types, which is going to be the best way to get your message out?
Once you know where you want to end up, the next step is to create a roadmap that will get you there.
There's a famous saying that illustrates perfectly what you ultimately want to achieve: "If the circus is coming to town and you paint a sign saying 'Circus Coming to the Fairground Saturday,' that's advertising. If you put the sign on the back of an elephant and walk him into town, that's promotion. If the elephant walks through the mayor's flowerbed, that's publicity. If you can get the mayor to laugh about it, that's public relations. And if you planned the elephant's walk, that's marketing."
Here are the "insider secrets" that will help you to become a partner, and build a solid relationship with the media so that you can "plan the elephant's walk" for your business.
1. Do your research before writing your first press release. Think about your story. Who is it going to affect, interest or impact? Is it strictly of local interest, or can you “hook” it to a larger event or happening? Is it a one-time happening, such as your grand opening, or a special event, or milestone? Is it part of an ongoing effort?
2. Create your own "hot list." Now, figure out which media sources are going to be most interested in your story. Start locally. Think of your local newspapers, television and radio stations. Include your local public radio station, college stations and any others that provide news stories in your list. (Special Note: If your story isn’t one that is going to be over in fifteen minutes, don’t forget organizations that publish newsletters! Think about your local Chamber of Commerce or organizations whose members or clients could also become your customers!)
Then think even further outside your "circles of influence." If you live in an urban area, there may be national affiliates like APR, etc that have stringers or offices nearby. Include those in your list.
Now look at online sources. Be thoughtful here. Don’t just send a press release to everyone. Sure, it may get published online, but it may also get dumped into a “news bin” on a thread where it is never seen or read.
In addition to the hundreds of news sources, think about your affiliations. Are you a member of a national society, or organization? If it is relevant to your story, mention that you’re a member, and then send a copy of the press release to them as well!
3. Make it personal. Now that you know which media sources you’re going to send your press release to, get on the phone. Find out the name of the specific person you need to send the press release to. (These is a step a lot of people skip over, but take my advice and don’t, because it’s one of the most important!) Remember the word "relations" in "public relations." Building any worthwhile relationship takes time and effort. You have to give something to get something.
If possible, talk to the reporter or editor personally. Introduce yourself, and let her/him know that you’re going to be sending him/her a press release. (If you're inexperienced at this, you can actually use that as an introduction and let him know that you want to get started off on the right foot). You want to find out the following information:
- The correct spelling of her/his name.
- How they prefer to receive the press release -- faxed or in the mail.
- How far in advance do they prefer that you send the press release?
Always make sure to ask what their deadline is. If faxing your press release is okay, get the fax number, and find out if the cover sheet should be addressed to the reporter or someone else.
DO NOT CHAT. This is not a social call. You are calling to get information, not a date. (Tricks of the trade: Get your Rolodex or PDA out while your talking to the reporter. Note all of the pertinent information so that you’ve got it for the next time. On the back of the card, or in the memo section, write down the date you spoke with them, and the reason for the press release.)
4. Once you’ve found your contact person, stick to them! Unless otherwise instructed, never send the same press release to more than one person in any organization or publication. If there is any confusion or duplicate coverage, it will be blamed on you, and you will lose your credibility.
5. Follow-up. Within a day or two of sending your press release, call and make sure that they received it. If not, be calm, and pleasant, and just say that you’ll send another one. Re-check your contact information, and make sure you’ve got the right address, fax number, etc. And then send it right away.
6. Never just send a press release the day of your event. It makes you look unprofessional, and you probably won’t get covered. The only exception to this is if you’re holding a press conference to make a big announcement that will impact many people.
Always plan ahead and give the media as much time as possible to decide how they are going to cover it.
7. Know Their Deadlines. I can’t stress this often enough. EVERY TIME you talk to a reporter, ask what their deadline is.
When you’re submitting an article or a press release to a magazine, call first and ask about submission deadlines. And then make sure that you send it in with time to spare.
Mark the deadline on your media info sheet, or your Rolodex, but check back with them periodically, because changes do happen.
8. Keep your promises. If a reporter calls you, and you don't know the answer to a question, or he needs something you don't have but you promise to get it -- do it. Always follow through and do what you say you're going to by their deadline.
9. Be professional. Offer to act as a liaison if the reporter needs to speak to other people in your organization or industry, and volunteer to provide additional research or background information. Put together an online pressroom on your Website, as well as offline media kits that you can send along with your press releases, or when needed.
10. Remember what your mother taught you. Be polite. Say please and thank you. If you read an article that a reporter has written and you liked it, send a handwritten a note and let them know. Be willing to provide information, resources or background material even if it doesn't directly benefit you. Building a solid relationship is about more than selling more widgets, and will pay off in the long run.
Posted by billenross at 09:49 AM | Comments (0)
January 07, 2007
How To Be Remarkable
Seth refers us to the Guardian for some tips on how to be remarkable.
Posted by billenross at 04:19 PM | Comments (0)
January 02, 2007
Bob Parsons' 16 Rules to Live By
Bob Parsons credits 16 rules for propelling him from humble youth to his role today as CEO and Founder of GoDaddy.com. Now he's making those same rules available to you for display in your home or office. Available in three sizes, Bob's "16 Rules" were the source for many of his successes and can provide inspiration for a variety of circumstances in your life - today, tomorrow and for years to come.
Good stuff, read on...
1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone. I believe that not much happens of any significance when we're in our comfort zone. I hear people say, "But I'm concerned about security." My response to that is simple: "Security is for cadavers."
2. Never give up. Almost nothing works the first time it's attempted. Just because what you're doing does not seem to be working doesn't mean it won't work. It just means that it might not work the way you're doing it. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn't have an opportunity.
3. When you're ready to quit, you're closer than you think. There's an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true. It goes like this: "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed."
4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be. Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of "undefined consequences." My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, "Well, Robert, if it doesn't work, they can't eat you."
5. Focus on what you want to have happen. Remember that old saying, "As you think, so shall you be."
6. Take things a day at a time. No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don't look too far into the future and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything one day at a time.
7. Always be moving forward. Never stop investing. Never stop improving. Never stop doing something new. The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die. Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way. Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen. Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.
8. Be quick to decide. Remember what General George S. Patton said: "A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow."
9. Measure everything of significance. I swear this is true. Anything that is measured and watched improves.
10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate. If you want to uncover problems you don't know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven't examined for a while. I guarantee you problems will be there.
11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you're doing. When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance. Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.
12. Never let anybody push you around. In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you're doing as anyone else, provided that what you're doing is legal.
13. Never expect life to be fair. Life isn't fair. You make your own breaks. You'll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).
14. Solve your own problems. You'll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you'll develop a competitive edge. Masura Ibuka, the cofounder of Sony, said it best: "You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others." There's also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently. It goes like this: "A wise man keeps his own counsel."
15. Don't take yourself too seriously. Lighten up. Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.
16. There's always a reason to smile. Find it. After all, you're really lucky just to be alive. Life is short. More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: "We're not here for a long time; we're here for a good time."
The above rules are republished with the permission of Bob Parsons (www.BobParsons.com) and are copyright ? 2004-2007 by Bob Parsons. All rights reserved.
Posted by billenross at 07:42 PM | Comments (0)
December 22, 2006
How to Stay in Your Customer's Mind
Imagine the following scenario: six months ago you paid someone to come and do your gardening. You'd like to use them again but you can't remember their name and have lost their business card. You end up going to another gardener, which means that the first gardener has probably lost a customer for life.
How easy would it have been for that gardener to stay in touch with you by sending you a newsletter with gardening tips and product recommendations? If you're running your own business, you can't afford not to have a newsletter. Sure, it seems that every business sends out one nowadays but that is no reason to avoid using this invaluable marketing tool. It's an excellent way to build ongoing customer relationships, establish trust and build credibility.
The most cost effective way to send out a newsletter is by email. That way you avoid printing and mailing costs, and it's so much more immediate.
Here are 5 tips to using email newsletters as a way of staying in touch with your customer base:
1. Use the 80% 20% Rule
One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is talking only about themselves in their newsletters. Think about the newsletters that you delete and the ones that you make the effort to read. Usually the most interesting ones contain solid information and tips that benefit you in some way. Think about what would really interest and help your readers and write articles on those topics accordingly. 80% of your newsletter content should directly benefit your reader. Only allow 20% of your content to promote your business.
2. Choose a schedule and stick to it
Consistency is the key when sending out newsletters. Whether you decide on a monthly or fortnightly newsletter, make a commitment to yourself to keep to this schedule. If your newsletter is good, your customers will start to look forward to hearing from you and you don't want to disappoint them, do you?
3. Pick a quality newsletter provider
A service like Aweber will provide you with the best in service at a very reasonable price. As part of signing up, you get free templates to use. Customize these with your logo and photo to add that personal touch. Aweber also manages people wanting to unsubscribe from your list automatically, which is a great time saver.
4. Plan your content
Instead of inwardly groaning when suddenly it's time to send out your newsletter again, why not brainstorm and work on some article ideas in advance? Think of your newsletter as an ongoing, fun project and it will be.
5. Put your sign-up box on your website
Make it easy for people to sign up for your newsletter by putting a sign-up box prominently on your website. Also invite people to sign up by putting a sentence at the end of your email signature, saying something like 'Sign up for my newsletter with the latest articles, news, tips and stories at '
The time and effort that you put into your newsletter will pay off dividends by increasing repeat business, and bringing in new business.
Posted by billenross at 07:56 AM | Comments (0)
November 10, 2006
What is Your Number One Asset as a Business Owner?
As a business owner you have many assets. Your expertise, your client base, your brand, the list could go on. But what is your number one asset and how do you protect it?
It’s your health, of course. Without good health, your expertise, your client base and your brand will all suffer. You need good health to be able to function effectively, be creative, productive, to have enough energy to see projects through.
However, it is all too easy to neglect your number one asset when running your own business. Client demands, commitments, family life, crises, all compete for your time and attention.
You feel you can’t justify regular breaks during the day because work is piling up! You stay up later and get up earlier in order to stay on top of things. Perhaps you’re not even sleeping as well as you used to.
Did you cancel dinner out with friends because you simply didn’t have the time or energy? How about weekends, is work seeping into Saturday and Sunday? Are you grabbing fast food on the run just to save some time?
If any of these questions resonate with you it’s time to take action. There’s no need to make drastic changes straight away. Start by making small changes.
Take regular 15 minute breaks throughout the day for a quick stroll outside, or for sitting quietly doing nothing. Rather than wasting time, you’re actually going to be saving time because when you get back to work you’ll be so much more efficient and productive.
Exercising regularly will enhance your energy levels and general health immensely. It doesn’t even have to be slogging it out at the gym or running. Thirty minutes of walking a day will greatly improve your sense of wellbeing.
Make sure you’re getting at least 7 or 8 hours of good sleep a night. Reduce the amount of caffeine you drink during the latter half of the day so that you’re sleeping more soundly.
Staying connected to your friends and family is essential for balance. Schedule time out to share laughter with friends over dinner and enjoy a game of frisbee in the park with the kids. Don’t let your hobbies and other interests slide because of your business. If you like reading, relax and read books that aren’t related to business!
Make a commitment to yourself that at least on one day of the weekend you don’t turn your computer on at all, you don’t go into your office, you don’t even think about work!
Eating good, nutritious food and drinking enough water are vital to your health. The time you invest in making the right food choices and preparing healthy meals will pay off in dividends.
If you put just some of these tips into action over the next few weeks, you’ll definitely be protecting your number one business asset and feeling the benefits. Take that 15 minute break now, you deserve it!
Posted by billenross at 08:38 AM | Comments (0)
September 30, 2006
Business Referrals
If you could triple your business referrals with nearly zero effort, would you watch an 11 minute video that shows you how?
Are you a business professional who is struggling to generate more referrals? Do you offer great products and services to your clients and customers, but they just don't seem to refer you to their friends and associates? If the answer is, "Yes!" then you need to check this out - Get Business Referrals
Posted by billenross at 12:51 PM | Comments (0)
August 31, 2006
Seven Steps to Cold Calling Follow-up
Let’s say you’ve had a great conversation with a prospect. They’ve shared their problems and seem genuinely interested in what you are offering. You’re excited about following up with them – but your calls aren’t returned. What’s happening?
Well, the only way to find out the truth of the situation is to ask them. However, before you do, let’s stop and consider some important points. You must approach this in a way that invites trust and diffuses the barriers to comfortable communication.
Here are seven important steps to follow:
1. Don't assume the sale.
Prospects are used to the traditional buyer-seller relationship. They assume you’ll pressure them. Therefore, they may decide not to tell you things that make them vulnerable to pressure. Until you’re sure you know the complete truth, you can never assume the sale is yours.
2. Keep making it easy for potential clients to tell you their truth.
Toward the end of your conversation, ask, “Do you have any more questions?” If the answer is no, follow up with the 100% final truth gathering question: “Now, are you 100% sure that there’s nothing else that I can do on my end to make you feel more comfortable with this situation?”
You’ll be amazed how often people will reply, “Well, actually, there’s one more issue...” It’s at this point that you really start to hear their truth.
3. Call back to get the truth, not close the sale.
Most potential clients who suddenly disappear expect you to chase them down. They expect you to call and say, “Hi, I was just wondering where things are at?”
Instead, eliminate all sales pressure by telling them you’re okay with their decision not to move forward, based on their not having called you back. In other words, take a step backward. Most of the time, this will open the door to a new level of trust-filled communication.
4. Reassure them that you can handle a “no.”
Of course, we’d rather hear a yes. However, the only way to free yourself and your clients from subtle sales pressure is to let them know that it’s not about the sale – it’s about the best choice for them. If that means no sale, it’s okay with you.
5. Ask for feedback.
Whenever prospects disappear, call them back (e-mail only as a last resort because dialogue is always better). Simply ask, “Would you please share your feedback with me as to how I can improve for next time? I’m committed to understanding where I went wrong.”
This is not being feeble or weak. It’s being humble. This invites the truth.
6. Don't try to “close” a sale.
If your intuition tells you that the sales process isn’t going in the direction it should be going (which is always toward greater trust and truth), then trust those feelings.
Make it safe for prospects to tell you where they stand. It’s simple. All you have to say is, “Where do you think we should go from here?” But be prepared because you might not want to hear the truth of how they’re feeling. You can cope with this by keeping your larger goal in mind, which is always to establish that the two of you have a “fit.”
7. Give yourself the last word.
Eliminate the anxiety of waiting for the final call that will tell you whether the sale is going to happen. Instead, schedule a time for getting back to each other during your conversation. This eliminates chasing. Simply suggest, “Can we plan to get back to each other on a day and at a time that works for you? Not to close the sale, but simply to bring closure, regardless of what you decide. I’m okay either way, and that’ll save us from having to chase each other.”
You'll find that these suggestions make selling much less painful because you stay focused on the truth instead of the sale. The truth is, the more we release the idea of needing to make the sale, the more sales we will likely see.
Ari Galper is the founder of Unlock The Game™, the only selling program that completely eliminates pressure from the selling process. His Unlock The Game™ Sales Program has helped thousands of entrepenuers and sales professionals worldwide.
Visit Cold Calling Made Painless to take a Free Test Drive!
Posted by billenross at 09:33 PM | Comments (0)
August 30, 2006
Using Third Party Credibility
It's no secret that the best form of advertising is word of mouth. Always has been and always will be. Even in today’s information age, where it's nearly impossible to shield ourselves from the daily blaze of information coming at us through various media channels. Mass marketing communication has pervaded pretty much all areas of our lives, but still it lacks the power of good old word of mouth.
The direct selling and network marketing industries were built upon this foundation and both are thriving these days. One of the reasons for this is that as we are bombarded with mass communication messages, the value of a more personal message from a trusted source increases. Traditional companies are starting to pick up on this and are trying to implement programs to stimulate word of mouth by their existing customers. For many companies this transition proves to be slightly more difficult than they anticipated - hardly a surprise to those that have been successful in that area. The approach to using good word of mouth advertising differs very much from regular advertising.
Even though there are many differences between regular marketing and word of mouth, there are also some important similarities. One of them is the power of the use of a third party. Of course it's nice if you say how great your company is and how wonderful your products and services are. But that's kind of like your mother saying you're such a nice person. It's not that it's not true. It's just that the source isn't considered to be very objective. A third party is. It doesn't necessarily mean that the third party is completely objective but at least it's considered to be at least more objective than your mother, or your company, or you.
In everything we do, we seem to have a natural tendency to follow the people around us or people we look up to. Since the latter aren't always present we usually reside to the people around us. Another tendency most people have is to distrust the seller or at least question the truthfulness of what they're saying. These two tendencies combined lead to a situation where almost all our purchases are driven largely by what the people around us say and think about certain products and services. When the selling party advises you on a certain purchase he or she usually has an interest in making a sale and therefore may not be completely objective. When a neighbor gives you advice, you don't worry about this and therefore you find it easier to trust him. Your neighbor just served as a third party.
We generally tend to like testimonials better than commercials, probably because they don't involve hard selling, or at least not to the same extent. The impact of a good testimonial is a lot bigger than that of an advertisement. Especially when it is delivered by someone we know and respect. So the point is to find a third party that can endorse you or refer people to you - preferably someone that has credibility. This point is well understood by many network marketing companies. After decades of aggressive growth this industry still deals with something of a credibility issue. Of course to anyone that has done their due diligence, the validity and opportunity of network marketing should be crystal clear. Unfortunately for many individuals in the industry, most prospects haven't done their due diligence and wouldn't even know where to begin. That's where the importance of third party credibility comes in.
Some network marketing companies have earned endorsements from people that are widely recognized as successful and are using their influence to boost company growth. They know how people will react to an endorsement by a world famous millionaire or even billionaire; "If successful people like that say it's OK, it probably is...” This phenomenon can be seen in every business, in every country and in every city. The opinions of the movers and shakers in any area just seem to have more effect on people. The point is whether you're in network marketing or in a traditional business, using third party credibility can greatly improve your results. Unfortunately very few people seem to actively use this strategy.
If you are in business for yourself you can at least see if you can take advantage of this. Get some testimonials from your existing customers, especially from those customers that seem to have some influence in the community.
Try to find out what kind of person would be good match for your prospective customers. Determine some characteristics and then search your existing customer base to see if you can find any people meeting these criteria. If you do, simply contact them and ask them if they would help you out by sharing their story. In most cases you won't have to compensate them for this, but it wouldn't hurt if you did a little extra to make it worth their while. After all, you're asking them to help you out.
If you can't find a suitable candidate amongst your existing customers, try the rest of your network. Perhaps you can find some people there that aren't buying from you yet, but would be happy to become your customer and endorse you. In this case you would probably have to do a little more in the form of compensation to sway them.
Perhaps you could throw in a discount or provide a part or all of your service free of charge. Yes, this will cost you some money, but it's probably a lot cheaper than running an ad in the local newspaper. And it will probably generate a lot more business for you.
Posted by billenross at 08:24 AM | Comments (0)
August 10, 2006
Constructive Life vs. Destructive Life
Which life do you lead? Do you consider your life to be constructive or would you describe it as destructive to you and all around you. Both result from a chain reaction, one leading to a downward spiral and the other leading to an upward spiral.
Living a Destructive Life...
What do you remember about your childhood, early adulthood? Is it failing exams, being told off for not going to school, failing your driving test, leaving your first job because you kept making mistakes and thought they would probably sack you anyway....?
This perception of your early life can only lead to a negative self image. Your subconscious mind constantly focuses on these negative situations. When a new situation comes into your life, say you get a new job; your subconscious gets to work analyzing this new set of information. It takes it apart and compares it to what has gone before.
'...only stays a maximum of 18 months in a job so will have to move on in a year or so.'
'...had trouble with the boss in most past jobs so will have trouble with this one.’
'...got on with colleagues for the first six months then relationships went downhill so will have problems with colleagues by the end of the year.’
Your subconscious mind does not rationalize - it simply takes the facts that have gone before and acts on them. In this case it sees a new job as something temporary and tells your conscious mind that you should expect all of the problems you have had before.
This leads to a negative perception of your job. A negative perception leads to lack of confidence, lack of motivation and ultimately depression. What chance does your new job have - none! This will impact on your wider life making it harder and harder to get what you want in life - so you sink deeper and deeper into depression.
Living a Constructive Life
What do you remember about your childhood, early adulthood? Is it playing with friends and siblings, holidays you have enjoyed, getting a mention from your teacher because you took an injured dog you found in your garden to the vet, getting your first job...?
This person's subconscious mind is very busy! Busy relating new situations to all the good things that have gone before! If this person decided to set up their own business their subconscious would be saying something like this:
'..Well this is new but I have been successful in my career so far so I will just use those skills and experience to succeed in my business.’
'..I will have to find new customers but that is OK because I have always been very good at developing customer relations.’
'..Once I am up and running I will need new staff but that will be fine because I have always got on well with the people reporting to me.'
What do you think is happening in this person's life? Because they are focusing on success, they are looking forward to achieving it. This makes them feel motivated, which in turn leads them to take action. This action gets results so they feel more motivated (and happy!) and so it goes on.
Which life are you leading?
Posted by billenross at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)
June 05, 2006
Internet Marketing Course
It's not often that I am surprised by something I see online. And it's even more rare that I stumble upon a book or resource that causes me to literally stop what I am doing and write a letter to everyone I know.
But I just discovered that Howard L Moreland -- probably one of the best-known and most well-respected experts on the subject of web-building and Internet marketing -- has just released all the details & secret source tools that allow him to make as much as $500,000 a year from a single website -- "automatically" -- and how he's able to create such sites starting from scratch, and all within just a few short hours!
>> *Often building 10 to 15 such sites in just weeks – making Howard $*millions*$!
The truth is, I still can't figure out exactly WHY Howard has made this information available, since it gives everyone -- including his competitors -- the chance to steal the secrets he's spent the last several years perfecting -- particularly the last 2 most of all!
He shows you everything from growing a super-profitable web-empire as quickly as possible, to generating the highest possible revenue from having several sites working for you "automatically" at once, to how to explode your business virtually overnight -- all with mostly free (yet very effective) tools and resources -- and even FREE ads, both online and off! ...
He also provides you over 200 million places to advertise profitably for FREE, and for any site you create!! -- All instantly accessible to you with instant online links which makes placing all your ads for free "easy & fun"...
His years of testing are going to completely eliminate all